Facebook announced Facebook Messenger users will once again be able to send SMS messages — as long as they’re running Android.
Android users can set Messenger as the default SMS app, which will route all SMS messages and conversations through Messenger rather than any other SMS apps that may be installed on the device. Messenger used to support SMS, but Facebook removed the feature back in 2012.
Facebook says Messenger doesn’t send, upload, or store conversations on its servers. Moreover, it uses the standard SMS protocol and not cellular data to send SMS messages. Sending SMS via Messenger includes text, pictures, videos, and audio snippets, but content such as stickers, emoji, GIFs, and voice/video calls will require the use of Messenger’s data functions.
Facebook Messenger is free to download from the Google Play Store.
